2023 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region
5
Ranked Colleges
273
Degrees Awarded
$14,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 3,106 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 166th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,801 and had an average of $23,333 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 273 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,800 and $18,161 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation and leisure studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region parks & rec students.
Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 110 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,474 for Rocky Mountains Region Parks & Rec students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Brigham Young University - Provo Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Utah is a public institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
U of U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $13,572 for rocky mountains region parks & rec students per year to attend University of Utah.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Utah
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Utah University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Southern Utah University is a fairly large public school situated in Cedar City, Utah. It awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region parks & rec students list, Southern Utah University has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Utah University is $13,578 for rocky mountains region parks & rec students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Southern Utah University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Colorado University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Colorado University is a small school located in Gunnison, Colorado that handed out 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region parks & rec students list, Western has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western is $16,690 for rocky mountains region parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Western
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Metropolitan State University of Denver. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
MSU Denver not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $14,313 for rocky mountains region parks & rec students per year to attend Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at MSU Denver
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